Fuel supporting device for furnaces



Jan. 31, 1933. F. x. LAUTERBUR ET AL 1,895,633

FUEL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Filed March 22, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet I N VEN TORS Jam: @2224 A TTORNEYS 1933- F. x. LAUTERBUR ET AL 1,895,633

FUEL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Filed March. 22, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 y '1. H Q QI E fi g;

v, v ZINVENTORJ y M m ATTORNEYS 1933- F. X. LAUTERBUR ET AL 1,895,633

FUEL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Filed March 22, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVE T0126 A TTORNEY$ F. X. LAUTERBUR ET AL F'UEL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Jan. 31,

Filed March 22. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 511111. JJJJJJJ.

INV NTORJ- Z A TTORNEYS Fatented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE FRANK X. LAUTERBUR AND EDWARD J. LAUTERBUR, F SIDNEY, OHIO FUEL SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Application filed March 22, 1930. Serial No. 438,111.

Our invention relates to furnace grate bar or fuel support construction, and especially to a novel construction which enables adjustment of the sizes of the openings between the grate bars or fuel supports to allow for burning different types of fuel.

In grate bar or fuel support construction for furnaces, there have been a number of types which are particularly efficient for burning different types of fuel. For example, if Pocahontas coal is to be burned there are a number of types of grate bars which will enable this type of coal to be burned with a minimum of ash loss. types of grate bars have been designed for burning efliciently anthracite coal. Other types have been designed for slack coal.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, however, there has never been designed for a household or apartment house furnace a grate bar or furnace fuel support which could be adjusted to various sizes of ash openings which could be adjusted at will so that no matter what the type of fuel sought to be 5 burned, the ash could be handled efficiently.

It is the object of our invention to provide a grate bar or fuel support construction, in which there is an upper fuel supporting assembly with apertures extending therethrough, and to provide a lower assembly movable relatively to the upper structure and with supporting members adapted to fit into the apertures in the upper assembly. It is a further object of our invention in such a combination of upper and lower fuel supporting assemblies to introduce a forced draft either through the lower grate bar assembly in case the fuel requires it, or in some other suitable manner.

The above and other mechanical improvements in fuel supporting construction we ac.- complish by that certain combination and arrangement of parts of which we have shown several preferred modifications.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of afurnace equipped with fuel supports movable so as to vary the ash space between the bars for handling different types of fuels.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing Other different possible spacings of the upper and lower fuel supporting assemblies, the bars being indicated in side elevation. I

Figure 3 is a plan view of a fuel supporting assembly such as is indicated in the other figures.

Figures 4 to 7 show various modifications of different types of upper and lower assemblies.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view showing Figure 3 in side elevation provided with means for rocking the solid grates.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic side view of a motor driven device for lowering the lower grates shown in Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic side View of a manual shifter bar effective on lower fuel supporting assemblies such as are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 11 is a plan view showing more in detail, a manually act-native device for mechanically raising and lowering the lower assembly.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 11.

Referring to Figure 1, the ash pit of the furnace is indicated at 1, the fire pot being indicated at 2. The upper assembly consists of a series of solid bars 3 extending across the fire pot. These bars have wings 4i projecting therefrom and are spaced with openings 5 so that the mounting supports 6 of the bars will extend through the furnace wall so that the assembly may be shaken in the usual manner exteriorly of the furnace as indicated by the shaker bars 6a in Figure 8 attached to the ends 66 of the supports 6. s The lower assembly which is movable to and from the upper assembly, and, as shown in various modifications in Figures 1, 8 and 9, consists of-a hollow tubular structure having a main supporting pipe 7, through which an air blast may be introduced into the interior of the tubes. There are branchtubular members 8 extending up to pipes 9 which extend across the fursupports, being directed upwardly through the openings 11 formed between the extending arms 4 of the upper assembly. In Figures 1, 7 and 8 we have indicated in dotted lines the lower movable assembly moved downwardly to the bottom of the furnace. Figure 9 shows a motor 12 with an eccentric strap 13 actuating an eccentric 14 which moves the arm or pipe 15. This may be accomplished by a simple lever mechanism, as shown in Figure 10, from the outside of the furnace. We may pivotally mount the bars 10 as indicated at 9a so that when they are removed from the upper assembly they may be pivoted down to the position indicated at 10a. In Figure 10 a lever 16 pivoted at 17 on a boss on the furnace is connected to the branch pipes 8a.

With a fuel support construction such as we have suggested, it will be possible to vary the ash opening between the bars by adjusting the position of the lower assembly. Thus, in Figure 2 we have shown diagrammatically in the upper figure the bars completely closing the opening in the upper assembly. In the figures below the upper figure, various different spacings of bars are shown. In Figures 4 to? we have shown various arrangements for mounting and assembling the lower fuel supporting assembly to suit different designs of furnaces. Thus, in Figure 4 we have shown the upper assembly 3a with the lower assembly 10?) mounted on tubular members 95 extending from a central branch pipe 76. In Figure 5 we have shown the upper assembly 36 with hollow bars 100 extending on spider-like tubular znembers from a central supporting point In Figure 6 we have shown the upper assembly 30 with a lower assembly comprising bars 10d mounted on a tubular casting 8d gr d supported by a central tubular member Figure 7 shows the combination of an upper assembly 3d with a lower assembly consisting of bars 106 pivoted on pipes 90, same being supported by a central air blast conduit 7e. We have shown different spacings between the upper and lower assemblies in Figures 4 to 7 to indicate different spacings which may readily be obtained.

In Figures 11 and 12 we have shown a furnace having an upper assembly 36 with a lower assembly 10f consisting of a plurality of tubular members mounted on a frame 18. A blower 19 is shown operated by a motor 20. A tubular member 15a supplies air to be forced through the fuel. In the modification shown the forced draft is introduced into the branch conduits 77 from which it passes to the hollow lower assembly fuel supporting members. The members 107 may be shaken as by shakerlevers 21 which extend outside the furnace and may be manually operated.

A manually operated wheel 22 carries on its shaft 23 a worm drive 24 which engages a worm gear 25. The support 18 is threaded at 26, and, as will be obvious, when the gears 25 are rotated the threaded shaft 27 will be turned thereby lowering the supports 18. Chains 28 extending from sprockets 29 mounted on the shaft 23 rotate worm driving gears 30 which rotate the shafts 31, 32 so that the supports 18 will be lowered evenly.

At any desired position the members 10f of the lower assembly may be rocked by the levers 21 so that anyashes carried on them may be dumped.

It will further be entirely feasible to introduce a forced draft through members of the upper assembly.

In use the householder purchases whatever type of fuel he desires to burn. If he desires a large fuel supporting area he spaces the lower assembly a considerable distance from the upper. If he is burning a very fine fuel requiring small apertures in the fuel supporting area, he moves the lower assembly to a more elevated position. Further, a certain air blast through the hollow bars when the lower assembly is spaced a considerable distance from the upper assembly will result in a different draft on the fuel than if the lower grate bar assembly is substantially filling the openings in the upper assembly.

Thus the various adjustable positions of the lower grate bar assembly relative to the upper provide an inexpensive construction which will permit the eflicient burning of substantially any desired type of fuel.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a furnace grate bar construction the combination of an upper assembly of solid grate bars having ash openings therein and a lower assembly of grate bars mounted for movement into and away from the ash openings in the upper grate bar assembly and means for introducing an air blast through said lower grate bar assembly, the grate bars in the lower assembly being hollow and hav ing openings therein through which the air blast may be directed upwardly into the openings in the upper assembly.

2. In combination with a furnace, a fuel supporting assembly comprising an upper assembly of members having openings therebetween and a lower assembly of members having portions movable into position to vary the clearance provided through the openings between the upper assembly, the members in said lower assembly being pivotally mounted on tubular supports through which an air blast from a source of supply may be provided. a

3. A grate bar assembly for a furnace having upper grate bar members with projecting wings constructed and arranged and so spaced as to provide ash openings, said assembly having lower members carrying grate bars extendible into the openings in the upper grate bar members and removable therefrom to vary the size of the ash opening provided by said assembly, said lower assembly comprising hollow grate bars mounted on tubular members through which an air blast may be introduced into the grate bars of the lower members.

FRANK X. LAUTERBUR.

EDWARD J. LAUTERBUR. 

